JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – All week the Rams talked about stopping Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette, knowing their ability to slow the rookie down would inevitably push the game to quarterback Blake Bortles, the weak point of the Jaguars offense.

So imagine their chagrin when Fournette ripped off a 75-yard touchdown run on the Jaguars first play from scrimmage Sunday. And the ease with which he leaned right into a gaping hole near the middle of the Rams defense before turning on the jets to race past Rams safety John Johnson and the rest of the Rams secondary untouched to the end zone.

At that very point, you can imagine the sinking feeling as the Rams began contemplating the long afternoon in front of them trying to keep Fournette and the Jaguars in check.

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We are learning a great deal about these young Rams as each week and game passes. And it sets them apart from last year’s team and the ones that preceded it for most of the last decade.

When questions and problems and issues arise through the course of a football game, as they are typically prone to do, the Rams not only have answers but also the means with which to exercise them.

It’s why they eventually settled down to beat the Jaguars, 27-17, Sunday to move to 4-2 for the first time since 2006. And why they are a legitimate team to keep an eye on the rest of the way.

There was no panic when Fournette ripped off his long touchdown run. No bowed heads or finger pointing or sinking feeling.

Just a recognition of what went wrong and a re-commitment to making sure it didn’t happen again.

“We are going to see what happened and try to get it fixed,” is how Rams outside linebacker Connor Barwin explained the immediate reaction of the defense.

And it didn’t take any football genius to figure out what went wrong.

“We were in a stunt, and they hit us and executed better than us.” said Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald.

Watching from the sideline, Rams coach Sean McVay saw the whole thing unfold just a few yards in front of him.

“We had pressure on, and we got out-gapped on the back side where we really just missed a fit with one of our players that’s capable of making that play nine times out of 10,” he said “I think you look at ‘What is the issue?’ and why that ended up happening, let’s fix it, let’s move forward.”

And move forward the Rams did. Just a little more disciplined, aware and stout while dealing with the 6-foot, 228-pound freight train.

After getting burned by Fournette on his first carry, the Rams clamped down on him while surrendering just 55 yards on the next 20 Fournette carries.

“We calmed down a little bit, fixed some things and we were fine.” Donald said.

Added Barwin: “You just don’t want to say ‘whatever,’ but we played a lot better after that play. He’s a good running back and if you give him that much room he’s going to take it to the house. We played tighter the rest of the game.”

By essentially eliminating Fournette after the first play, the Rams put the game into Bortles’ hands. It was their plan all along, knowing the sometimes skittish fourth-year player is prone to mistakes and uneven play when too much pressure is applied.

The results were fairly predictable: The Jaguars scored just 10 points after Fournette’s long strike and only three after the opening quarter. The Rams sacked Bortles five times and goaded him into throwing a critical fourth-quarter interception after the Jaguars had driven to the Rams 28 and were threatening to change the complexion of the Rams 24-17 lead.

The interception by Nickell Robey-Coleman – and the situation that helped cause it – were in the blueprint the Rams engineered in preparation for the Jaguars.

They stuffed Fournette for no gain on first down, forcing Bortles to have to put it in the air on second and long. Morgan Fox then sacked Bortles for a 4-yard loss to make it third and 14. Bortles, under pressure to make something happen, never sets his feet properly and throws high to Marcedes Lewis, who reaches up for the ball, only to deflect it into the waiting arms of Robey-Coleman.

The Jaguars never seriously threatened again.

And a Rams defense that struggled a bit to start the season, continued its upward trend over the last 10 quarters. After giving up 90 points to the Redskins, 49ers and the Cowboys (in the first half) during Weeks 2 through 4, the Rams have surrendered just 39 points in the following two-and-a-half games.

“I think that they continue to improve,” said McVay. “I think when you look at well-coached teams led by Wade Phillips, those teams get better as the season progresses. … I think that’s a representation of players that are receptive to the coaching, and our coaches continue to hammer down the fundamentals, the techniques. I think you look at what Aaron Donald, getting back into his rhythm, has provided for our defense. You see why he’s one of the best in the world at what he does. I thought he’s made a huge impact. Nickell Robey-Coleman continues to make big-time plays. It seemed like throughout the day, guys put a lot of pressure on Bortles on some of those known passing situations.”

No panic. No finger pointing. No grasping for answers that aren’t available.

Vincent Bonsignore is an NFL columnist for the Southern California News Group. Having covered the Los Angeles sports scene for more than two decades, Bonsignore has emerged as one of the leading voices on the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers, the NFL and NFL relocation.

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